A Father's Love For His Son
by alightintheshadows
Summary: All a father wants to know is if his child is safe. Gideon goes to drastic measures to "rescue" Reid from the dangerous life of an FBI agent. Will the team be able to find him? Will Reid even want to be found? Set between seasons 8 and 9.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello beautiful world! This is my first published fanfiction. I decided to start my fanfiction career off with just a short story that I thought of a while back. It should only be a few chapters long. This story takes just after season eight, after Reid has begun to better cope with his loss of Maeve. I hope you all enjoy the story! I do not own Criminal Minds or any of its characters.**

The cold winter air bit Dr. Spencer Reid's skin as he walked home from a long day's work at the Behavioral Analysis Unit. The team just returned from a case a couple of days ago, so they all had tons of paperwork to catch up on. Reid decided to stay a little late and finish all of his paperwork; well, that was one reason for staying late at work.

This recent case had been a particularly brutal one, nine little girls between the ages of nine and twelve being stabbed in the heart over the course of two years before the team was even called in. The unsub killed one more victim before the team caught him. It was unfortunate for Reid because of his eidetic memory that would never allow him to erase the images of the little girls covered in blood out of his mind. He quite honestly just wanted to avoid going home to sleep as long as he could.

Reid wrapped his arms around himself as he continued to walk the dimly lit sidewalk back toward his apartment complex. He recited Shakespeare in his head during the walk to keep his mind off of the case. He was almost to the parking lot of his apartment complex when something didn't feel quite right. He suddenly stopped when a voice he was sure he would never hear again call his name.

"Spencer?"

Reid just stood in complete shock and disbelief. He turned toward the sound of the voice, wondering if he was just hearing things. Sure enough, he was there. He cautiously approached the man, even though he thought he had nothing to be scared about.

"_Gideon?"_ he asked, almost as if he thought his eyes were lying to him, "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see if we could talk," Gideon said, avoiding eye contact with Reid and stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Reid was still in shock that he just waved Gideon's odd behavior as a result of awkwardness of talking to him after abandoning him for five years.

"What could you possibly have to say to me, Gideon?" Reid asked, not in a tone of anger, but more of curiosity as to what his previous mentor would have to say to him after all these years.

Gideon looked around nervously.

"How are you?"

Reid was thrown off by the simple question.

"I'm fine," he said, his voice raising into almost a question at the end.

"No you're not!" Gideon snapped looking at Reid in the eyes for the first time."Your job plagues your mind with terrible memories and nightmares. You can't sleep and that's not healthy! Not to mention the job of an FBI agent alone puts you at a serious risk of getting hurt!"

"That's just part of the job, Gideon," Reid responded calmly, "Yes, I will admit this job takes its toll on me, but its worth it. My job as helped me save several people and incarcerate criminals that are bringing evil into this world. I would have thought you of all people would know that, considering you brought me to the Behavioral Analysis Unit in the first place."

"I've learned otherwise. Spencer, you can't keep doing this job. I don't want to see an innocent person get destroyed from the inside out by the darkness that accompanies it. The real reason why I came to speak to you is because I want you to come with me."

"Go with you?" Reid asked, not exactly liking where this conversation was heading.

"I want you to come out to my cabin with me, isolate yourself from the world and the evil inside it."

Reid shook his head.

"Gideon, if I run away, I can't help people. I'm sorry, but I can't go with you," Reid said in a tone that said that was the end of the conversation.

Reid turned to walk back toward his apartment, not realizing what Gideon had planned.

"You don't have a choice," Gideon whispered as he wrapped an arm around Reid, pinning his arms to his sides while holding a cloth over Reid's nose and mouth.

Reid immediately begin to struggle against his former mentor, but the chloroform quickly began to take effect. He let out a few muffled grunts as he fought with all waning strength that he had in him to break free. His struggles soon became nonexistent as he slumped back against Gideon. Just a few seconds later, he was whisked away into reluctant unconsciousness.

Gideon dragged Reid's unconscious body into his car which was parked nearby. He opened the door to the back seat and lifted Reid into the back so that he lied across the seat. He tied his hands together in front of him and his ankles together, just in case he woke up. He took out Reid's phone and credentials and put them in an envelope. After sealing the envelope, he stroked Reid's hair as he leaned down and kissed him on top of his head, almost in the way a father would his young son.

"It's okay, Spencer. I'll protect you."

**What did you think? Reviews are much appreciated! I should hopefully update soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for the response to the first chapter! I hope you all enjoy this next one! I do not own Criminal Minds.**

Reid tried to break through the darkness as the chloroform's effects began to wear off. His eyes fluttered open. He found himself lying in the backseat of a car, and considering the darkness outside the window, it was still night. He tried to move, but found that his hands were bound, as well as his legs, not cruelly, but tight enough so he couldn't loosen the rope. A muffled groan escaped his lips as he registered the pounding heading that resulted from the chloroform, after which he realized he was gagged. Despite the headache, he tried to sit up as well as he could, leaning against the door.

"You're awake," Gideon stated plainly.

Reid looked in the rear view mirror of the car and saw Gideon staring back at him. There was something unsettling about Gideon's gaze. He looked overly protective at him, like he truly believed that he was doing what was best for him. That's when he knew something was really wrong with Gideon, and he needed to get away as soon as possible.

"Just sit tight, Spencer. You'll be in a safe place soon."

Gideon's eyes drifted back to the road. Reid took the opportunity to look around. He noticed the locks on the back doors were down, but he could definitely use his bound hands to unlock one of them. He just needed the proper opportunity. Unfortunately, as he looked out the window, there seemed to be no other people along the unlit road they traveled.

They drove on for a few more minutes when Reid saw a pair of headlights coming in their direction. He decided that it was now or never. He lifted his bound hands to the lock nearest him and as quietly as he could pulled it up. When Reid thought the car was close enough, he opened the door.

"Hey!" Gideon yelled.

Gideon slammed on the brakes while Reid propelled forward. Reid looked out the door. Just as he thought, the oncoming car stopped. Gideon quickly got out of the car and pushed Reid back into the car and slammed the door shut and locked it. The other driver got out.

"Can I help you, sir?" a young man asked, looking concerned toward the back of the car.

"Yes," Gideon said calmly.

He then pulled out a gun and shot the young man. Reid watched helplessly from the back of the car with wide eyes. His eyes grew even wider as Gideon walked back to the car, unlocked it, and climbed into the backseat with him. He tried to get away from Gideon as best as he could.

"Don't worry, Reid. I didn't shoot him fatally, but it had to be done. He could have taken you away from me," Gideon explained as he stroked Reid's hair.

Reid cringed at Gideon's touch.

"How could you do that?" Reid tried to ask in complete disbelief, but it came out muffled.

Gideon seemed to understand the question.

"Nothing will stop me from protecting you," he said as he reached for something in the front seat, "Now, I hate to do this to you again, but I can't have you pulling another stunt like that."

He covered Reid's nose and mouth with the cloth and kept it there until Reid's eyes began to droop shut. Satisfied that Reid was once again unconscious, Gideon got back in the front seat, and drove away into the night.

Hotch walked into his office the next morning with a yawn. He sat at his desk and started on paperwork, waiting for the rest of his team to arrive. To his surprise, JJ was the next agent to come in. Usually, it was Reid who showed up next. Then again, he did stay late the previous night doing paperwork, so he might have slept in a little bit. This assumption was quickly proven wrong when JJ walked in with an open envelope and wide eyes.

"Hotch, Reid is missing," JJ said, almost as if she couldn't believe it.

Hotch reached into the envelope and pulled out Reid's phone and credentials. He then pulled out a note.

Don't worry. He's in a safe place now. Nothing can ever hurt him again. Don't bother looking for him. He's better off without you.

Hotch cursed and pulled out his phone.

"JJ call Blake, Morgan, and Garcia. I'll let Rossi know." he quickly said.

JJ stalked out of the room, phone in hand. Hotch dialed Rossi's number and prayed he would pick up soon. Luckily Rossi picked up on the second ring.

"Dave, get here as quickly as you can. Reid's been kidnapped."

Rossi was silent for a moment.

"I'm on my way."

Hotch could hear pure determination in Rossi's voice. He had grown fond of the team's youngest agent and had developed the protective attitude toward him that both Hotch and Morgan had. Hotch hung up the phone and rubbed his hand over his face, wondering who on earth had taken his agent and, more importantly, why this person thought he was better off without his family.

JJ walked back in.

"I called the others, they are all on their way."

"Good. We need to find Reid, and fast. From the sounds of it, this unsub has the intention of keeping Reid, and who knows how he will react if we try to bring him back home."

**There's the second chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! Reviews are much appreciated.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you so much for all the responses and reviews to this story! I'm so glad you all like it! I am also open to suggestions! If you all have any ideas that you might like to see happen, message me! Here's the next chapter. I hope you all like it! I do not own Criminal Minds.**

Hotch didn't need to be a profiler to know that Morgan was beyond angry when he finally walked into the bullpen. Garcia came in a few minutes after with a look of extreme worry on her face. Blake walked in with Rossi, both very concerned as to why someone had taken their youngest team member. JJ called everyone into the conference room when everyone had arrived. Hotch walked in with the letter and Reid's phone and credentials.

"JJ found these in an envelope on her desk this morning," Hotch began as he set the letter on the table for the others to read, "Someone has taken Reid under the delusion that he was in danger and wasn't safe with us. This is good because the unsub has no intention of harming Reid, but he will have an unpredictable reaction when we try to bring him back home, and that could possibly lead to violence."

"He might have no intention of harming Reid, but what happens if Reid tries to resist him or escape?" Morgan asked, rubbing a hand over his face.

No one on the team wanted to even try to imagine what would happen if this unsub turned violent if Reid didn't cooperate with the unsub. They just hoped that this unsub would continue to operate under the delusion that he was protecting Reid without resorting to violence. Hotch broke the silence. Hotch took the note back before Rossi could see it.

"First, we need to go to his apartment and see if the unsub left any evidence when he took Reid. Morgan, Blake, you'll do that job. Also, talk to his neighbors to see if they saw or heard anything. JJ, talk to Section Chief Cruz, let him know what's going on. Garcia, look through police reports from the last twelve hours, see if there's anything that might give us a lead."

Everyone dispersed to do as they were told. The only two remaining in the conference room were Hotch and Rossi.

"What can I do to help, Hotch?" Rossi asked, a little concerned as to why he hadn't been given a task.

Hotch quickly grabbed the note from where it had been left on the table.

"I need you to take a look at this note," Hotch simply said.

Rossi took the note with his eyebrows raised, wondering why Hotch had waited until now for him to read the note. He read the note with great care. There was nothing particularly interesting about the wording of the note, but something about the note as a whole seemed very familiar. That's when Rossi realized what it was.

"This handwriting is a bit odd, the writing starting to slant down and curve so that it's slanting up again," he said, almost just to himself, "But it's not obvious. One would have to look real hard to even notice it."

Hotch nodded.

"I've only ever known one person to write in this manner," Rossi continued, then looking up to Hotch with rage beginning to stir within him, "Do you think Gideon did this? Do you think he took Reid away from us?"

"I think he might have, considering in the note he left Reid he described the toll this job had taken on him. Although, I have no other proof aside from the handwriting. I wanted to consult you about the note because you and I knew Gideon the longest and would be the only ones besides Reid that would recognize the writing."

"Have you told the others?" Rossi asked.

Hotch looked a little ashamed.

"No," he admitted, "I don't like the idea of keeping this a secret from the rest of the team, but I didn't want this information to cloud their judgement while the investigation is taking place. I want them clear headed until we have absolute proof that it was Gideon."

Rossi nodded in understanding and sighed. It was going to be a very long day.

Reid moaned as he once again had to break through the wall of darkness that resulted from the chloroform. His eyes fluttered open and he looked around his surroundings. He was out of the car and lying on something soft. As he moved, or rather tried to move seeing as his wrists and ankles were still bound, he noticed that he was lying on a couch. Continuing to look around the room, he saw a fire roaring in the fireplace and the waning sunlight outside the window, indicating it was early evening. He also noticed that Gideon sat in a chair that was close to the fire. He seemed to not give any notice to Reid being awake. Biting down on his gag, he fought to loosen his bonds. He stopped when Gideon grabbed his hands.

"I'm glad you got plenty of sleep. I can tell you haven't been sleeping well lately." He looked down to Reid's bound hands. "I'm sorry about tying you up, but I didn't know how you would react when you woke up and I couldn't have you trying to escape back to your team. They can't protect you like I can."

Gideon let go of Reid's hands and untied the gag keeping Reid quiet.

"Gideon, I don't understand. How is taking me away from the people I love, and who love me just as much, keeping me safe?"

Gideon's expression changed, now seeming much darker. He grabbed Reid's throat and squeezed, cutting off his air.

"I told you, they can't protect you like I can. They send you out into the field where you can get hurt or even killed. I would never do that to you."

Just as Reid thought he was about to pass out, Gideon let go of his throat. Gideon's expression returned to the kind and caring expression he wore before.

"You must be hungry. You've been asleep all day."

Reid nodded in agreement, afraid to say anything that might set Gideon off again.

"I'll make you something to eat," Gideon said with a smile.

Once Gideon was gone, Reid desperately searched around the room, trying to find anyway out.

**I hope you all liked that chapter! I should be updating soon! Reviews are much appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you all so much for the response to this story! I'm so sorry for the long wait for the update. I've been working a lot the last couple of weeks. Here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it!**

Rossi leaned back in his desk chair and rubbed a hand over his face. The team wasn't any closer to finding Reid than they first were when they found out he was missing. Morgan and Blake went to Reid's apartment and found it to be locked. Morgan used the spare key that Reid had given him in case of an emergency to open the door. There was no sign of struggle in the apartment, so they knew Reid had either gone willingly with the unsub, or he never made it back to his apartment the previous night. Morgan and Blake talked to Reid's neighbors to see if they saw Reid last night, and none of them did.

Garcia was having no luck either. She looked at the security footage outside of the BAU to see if someone might have followed Reid as he was leaving, but she found absolutely nothing.

The idea that the unsub might possibly be Gideon plagued Rossi's mind. He already scarred Reid by abandoning him. If he really did take Reid, he would make sure there would be hell to pay. Exactly one week from today marks a very special day for him and Reid.

_Six years previously_

_Rossi walked into The Jones Family Diner in Quantico. He really didn't feel like cooking after the long day of paper work he had. He also knew not many people would go to the diner after seven, so he could eat in peace. After he sat down and ordered his food, he noticed Reid in a booth across the diner, absentmindedly twirling a coin in his hand. Having been with the team close to six months now, Rossi was comfortable walking across the diner and sliding into the seat across from Reid. Reid looked surprised._

_"Care to tell me what that coin is?" Rossi asked with a raised eyebrow, "I've never seen you with it before."_

_Reid looked as if he was about to respond, but something was holding him back._

_"Rossi, if I tell you, will you promise not to judge me?" the young genius asked. _

_Rossi completely understood the young agent's hesitation. He had been with the team for only six months. He probably would have been more comfortable discussing this with Hotch or Morgan._

_"Reid, I've done enough stupid stuff in my life to lose the right to judge anyone," he responded with a smirk, trying to lighten the mood._

_Reid chuckled a little, then his face became serious._

_"A year and a half ago, the team and I were investigating a case in Georgia. We were searching for an unsub that was using religion as justification for murder. JJ and I were sent to interview a man named Tobias Hankel, who we discovered to be the unsub. JJ and I got separated. She ran into a barn and was attacked by Hankel's dogs. I ran around the back of the barn where we thought Hankel might have gone. He found me and knocked me to the ground. He began to argue with himself, and I figured out he had split personality disorder. He knocked me unconscious and took me to his cabin._

_"While the rest of the team searched for me, the personality of Hankel's father beat me and recorded it on a webcam, so the team could watch it live. The personality of Raphael psychologically tortured me by making me choose who would live and who he would murder, including a member of the team. Hankel's father actually killed me, but Hankel revived me. Hankel tried to ease my pain while I was being tortured; however, he did so using the drug Dilaudid, and I became addicted to it. _

_"After the team found me, I struggled with this addiction. The drugs caused me to be bitter, and I even lashed out at Prentiss. When I realized I was pushing away those I love, I decided that no matter how hard the withdrawals were, I had to stop taking Dilaudid. I struggled for months to get clean, but it was well worth it. I've been clean for exactly one year, today. A friend that I met a few months ago gave me this coin today to remind me what I've overcome."_

_While telling his story, Reid had avoided Rossi's gaze. Now that he had finished, he finally looked up. Rossi stared at him in amazement. The young man before him was so much stronger than Rossi could ever imagine._

_"Reid, when you look at that coin, don't just think about you being clean for a year. Think about the brave, strong man that you have become. Someone as young as you should not ever experience what you did. No one should, but you unfortunately did. Most agents would have just given up after that. I know I would have, but you didn't. Yes, you may have had an addiction, and I can see you are not proud of that, but you gave up the drugs on your own. I truly admire you, Dr. Reid."_

_All Reid could do was smile._

_"Tell you what," Rossi continued, "Every year, we come back to this diner on this day, unless we're out on a case. This is a very special day for you, and I would be honored if you'd allow me to celebrate with you."_

_Reid nodded._

Rossi smiled as he relived the memory. He looked out the window.

"We will find you Reid, and you and I will be at that diner in a week." he vowed.

Reid stopped struggling with his bonds as he heard Gideon approach.

"I made you some tomato soup," Gideon said with a smile, carrying a tray with a bowl on it, "It's a cold night, so I thought you might like something warm."

"Thank you, Gideon," Reid said, deciding it would be wise to play along now and catch Gideon off guard.

Gideon set the tray down on the coffee table and got out a knife. He cut the ropes binding Reid's ankles and the ropes binding his wrists. As Reid sat up, Gideon sat down on the couch next to him. Reid took the bowl of soup. He was hungry, so he ate the soup while Gideon stared out the window. When Reid finished, he set the bowl back on the tray and Gideon turned back to him.

"I think you're going to enjoy living here, Spencer," Gideon said, patting Reid's shoulder.

Reid forced a smile.

"I think I will, too," he responded.

"Want me to make some hot chocolate, maybe play some chess?" Gideon suggested.

Reid nodded and followed Gideon as he walked toward the kitchen. On the way, Reid noticed the front door. Reid stopped, and Gideon didn't seem to notice as he continued to walk out of sight into the kitchen. Reid sprinted to the door. Unfortunately, the moment his hand touched the handle, Gideon grabbed him and yanked him away from the door. That's when Reid noticed an entryway near the front door that led to the kitchen.

"Gideon, let me go!" Reid demanded.

"I wish you wouldn't struggle against me, Spencer," Gideon grunted, wrestling Reid into the kitchen, "I'm only doing what's best for you!" He suddenly yelled.

He grabbed Reid's hair and bashed his head against the kitchen table. Reid moaned as black spots danced in his vision. Sensing that Reid was about to pass out, Gideon moved Reid so that he was lying on the kitchen table, keeping him from falling on the floor. He brushed Reid's hair out of his eyes as his eyes fluttered shut.

"I really wish you wouldn't make me hurt you."

**There's chapter four! I hope you enjoyed it! Reviews are much appreciated.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello again! I would like to thank you all so much for the response to this story! I am so glad you all enjoy it so far! Here is the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy it! I do not own Criminal Minds.**

Reid returned to the realm of consciousness and felt something cold on his head. He opened his eyes and saw Gideon holding an ice pack to his head. He immediately regretted that action as he fully registered the exploding pain in his head. He closed his eyes and groaned in pain.

"I hope you're comfortable. I moved you to Stephen's room. I always had it ready, just in case he decided to see me again," Gideon explained just before Reid let out another moan of pain, "I'm sorry for hurting you, Spencer, but you would have left me if I hadn't."

Reid waited a minute before he tried to open his eyes again.

"Gideon, how is hurting me in any way protecting me? You've chloroformed me, twice, you've nearly strangled me, and you've bashed my head against your table, hard enough to knock me out. Worst of all, you separated me from the people I love most. You said you took me away from my team because you didn't think they could keep me safe and I could possibly get hurt, but it seems to me that the only person that has been hurting me is you."

Gideon looked away, ashamed for what he had done to Reid.

"I am sorry for doing all of those things to you, Spencer. I truly am, but I want you to think for a minute. What has this job cost you?"

Now it was Reid's turn to look away. He couldn't deny that this job was dangerous, and he especially didn't want to lie to Gideon considering he used to be a profiler and the fact that he was currently at Gideon's mercy.

"A lot," he reluctantly responded.

"Tell me, specifically, what has happened to you since I left the BAU," Gideon persisted as he took the ice away from Reid's head, seeing that some of the swelling had gone down.

Reid sighed.

"I got shot in the leg, while I was protecting a doctor targeted by the father of one of the patients that he couldn't save. For a few months, I thought one of my best friends was dead. I've lost many hours of sleep plagued by the gruesome memories that I will never be able to forget."

Reid hoped that Gideon would just be satisfied by that answer.

"Is there anything else?" Gideon asked.

Reid shook his head.

"Really?" Gideon asked with his eyebrows raised, "You're not going to tell your own mentor about Maeve?"

Anger flashed in Reid's eyes.

"What did you just say?"

Gideon seemed to be confused by the question.

"You're not going to tell your own mentor about Maeve?" he asked again.

"Gideon, I no longer consider you to be my mentor. You left me in the middle of the greatest struggle of my life. A note is the only goodbye I got from you. You couldn't even tell me goodbye in person! You haven't even spoken to me in six years, then all of a sudden you decide to kidnap me and take me away from the only people that were actually there for me when you left me! I'm sorry, but I believe you have lost every right you ever had to call yourself my mentor.

"As for Maeve: she is far above your consideration and I can't believe you even think yourself as worthy to even mention her name! I don't know how you found out about her and her tragic death, but there are some things that you should know. She was the most amazing woman that I had ever met. I fell in love with her before I even saw her in person. Unfortunately, she was kidnapped by her stalker. My family tried to help me find her, and we did, but her stalker committed suicide with a shot that killed both her and my beautiful Maeve.

"Of course I was depressed after her death, and it still makes me sad, but my family was there for me and they always will be. You weren't. If you think I'm going to suffer a mental breakdown like you did when Frank killed Sarah, you are severely wrong. I am much stronger than you give me credit for. If that's why you brought me here, Gideon, I highly suggest you let me go right now."

Reid, by this time, was sitting up in the bed he had been lying on, staring coldly into Gideon's eyes. He could tell that Gideon was scared with how angry he was, even though he tried to hide his fear. A few years ago, he could never have imagined feeling such anger toward his mentor, but he had absolutely no right to talk about Maeve.

Gideon stood up from the chair he had been sitting in, unsettled by Reid's anger.

"I can see that you are too worked up to listen to reason right now," he said, reaching for a rag from his pocket, "We can resume our discussion tomorrow when you have calmed down."

With his head still hurting, Reid wasn't able to fight back like he wanted. Gideon was easily able to push him back down on the bed, holding the rag over his mouth. Reid continued to fight. He even managed to remove the rag from his mouth, but the chloroform was already starting to take effect.

"Gideon," he breathed, right before Gideon put the rag back over his mouth, causing him to stop, "You can keep me here as long as you want, but I will fight you every minute of it. I will fight you until my family finds me, or I go back to them."

Gideon clenched his teeth in frustration as he quickly covered Reid's mouth again. After Reid's eyes closed, he got up and quickly exited the cabin and started pacing outside. He hadn't planned on Reid being this difficult. It looked like he was going to have to take more drastic measures to make sure he was safe.

**I hope you all liked this chapter! Reviews are much appreciated!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello! Here is the next chapter! Sorry for the very long wait on the update, I really don't have an excuse except life has been crazy, but in a good way! Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter! I do not own Criminal Minds or its fabulous characters.**

The team regrouped the next morning. After finding no leads the previous day, Hotch had ordered everyone to go home and get some rest, but of course no one could sleep knowing that their youngest colleague was missing.

Hotch was a little relieved for the opportunity to go home. Keeping his emotions in check around a team of profilers was extremely difficult. It angered him that Gideon was the possible kidnapper of his agent. He recalled the trauma Reid went through when he abandoned the team, which only angered him more, but he had to remain strong and not let the others, aside from Rossi, know. Clouding their judgment with their emotions would only hinder them in actually finding Reid if Gideon didn't wind up being the unsub.

Heading to the conference room, he ran into Garcia, who began talking at a mile a minute.

"Sir, I've been checking police reports in the surrounding area to see if there was anything that could give us a lead to finding Reid. Two hundred miles away, a man named Ethan Jones was shot late Monday evening. After calling 911, he was rushed to St. John's hospital for emergency surgery. Waking up yesterday afternoon, the police questioned him about the incident. He said he was driving from his cabin when he heard his mother was sick and stopped when he saw someone trying to jump out of a passing vehicle. He couldn't see very well, but he thought the man looked to be tied up. The driver got out and shot him. Could this be a possible lead?"

Hotch nodded.

"Good work, Garcia. I'll send Rossi, Blake, and Morgan to interview Ethan. The rest of us will remain here in case it's not a lead. Tell Rossi, Blake, and Morgan to meet me in my office and keep searching for anything that might help us, Garcia." Garcia nodded and quickly made her way back to her lair of computers.

Hotch entered his office and sat down at his desk. A few minutes later, Blake and Morgan walked in. Rossi arrived a couple minutes after, looking for agitated.

"A man named Ethan Jones was shot Monday night as he was driving to his mother's house. He was shot when he saw what he thought was someone trying to jump out of the backseat of a car. The driver was the one to shoot Ethan. Ethan says that the man that tried to jump out of the car looked to be tied up. This is the closest thing we have to a lead. I'm sending you three to interview Ethan at St. John's hospital, see if he might remember more than he thinks he does."

Morgan and Blake turned and walked out of Hotch's office.

"I'll be there in a minute," Rossi called after the two agents, he then turned to Hotch. "St. John's hospital is less than an hour drive from Gideon's cabin."

"I know, Dave. I can't justify sending everyone to interview Ethan because of the vagueness of the police report and we don't know for sure if it was Reid in the back of that car. If it is Gideon, call me immediately, but you, Morgan, and Blake go straight to Gideon's cabin and get Reid out of there. We will be there soon after."

Rossi nodded and followed Morgan and Blake out to the SUV.

Reid once again returned to consciousness. He soon registered his still pounding headache. He tried to touch his head to see if there was a bump from where Gideon bashed his head against the table, but found his wrists to be tightly bound behind his back. He managed to sit up and maneuver himself to the edge of the bed he had been lying on. He looked around Stephen's room, noticing Gideon was nowhere in sight. He worked to free his wrists from the ropes when Gideon finally walked in, and he didn't look happy.

"Gideon?" Reid hesitantly asked.

"Shut up!" Gideon snapped as he struck Reid across the face.

In shock, Reid didn't fight back as Gideon tightly gripped his arms and yanked him to his feet. He stumbled along as Gideon practically dragged him from the cabin and into the woods.

"Where are you taking me?" he asked.

Gideon gave no response and continued to lead him further into the woods. He caught Reid when he fell as they began to make their way up a hill. When they reached the top, Reid noticed a creek near the bottom of the hill and immediately got a bad feeling of what was about to happen. He began to struggle as Gideon led him to the creek. From what Reid could see, it didn't look very deep, but Gideon could easily hold him under the water.

"Gideon, please don't," he practically begged.

When they reached the creek, Gideon stopped and spun Reid around to face him, putting his hands on Reid's shoulders.

"Spencer," he said sternly, "You need to be taught a lesson. Last night, you were completely disrespectful, and that is not the way to behave when I am kind enough to let you stay with me."

Reid almost couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Letting me stay with you? You kidnapped me! To get me to stay with you, you either have to knock me out or tie me up!" Reid snapped, but then realized he made a mistake.

Gideon was not in a right state of mind, and Reid realized that he probably should not have reacted in such a manner. To his surprise Gideon just smiled.

"That's exactly what I'm talking about, Spencer. It's time for you to learn what the consequences of being disrespectful will bring you."

He then shoved Reid into the creek, and immediately jumped in after, holding Reid under the water. After Reid felt like he was about to drown, he felt Gideon yank him up. He barely got a breath of air before Gideon shoved him back under the cold water. He felt is strength waning from him. Every time Gideon shoved him back underwater, his struggles got weaker. Finally, Gideon pulled Reid back up and kept him up.

"Have you learned your lesson, Spencer?" Gideon asked.

"Yes," Reid managed to say while he was coughing and trying to get his breathing back to normal.

Gideon was helped him out of the creek, and he had to practically drag Reid along as they made their way back to Gideon's cabin.

**Again, I apologize for not updating in forever. I honestly don't know when I will be able to update again, but hopefully soon! Reviews are much appreciated!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello everyone! Sorry for the random long breaks between updates. Here is the next chapter for this story! After this chapter, there is only going to be a couple more to wrap this story up! Thank you so much for the response to this story and for being patient with me! I do not own Criminal Minds, and all of my mistakes are my own.**

Rossi, Blake, and Morgan made their way through St. John's hospital to talk to Ethan Jones. All of them hoped that this would be the lead that the team needed to find Reid. As they approached the room, they noticed that there was a police officer and a sketch artist already in the room. They knew that Ethan must have already provided the police with a description of the suspect since the sketch artist was already drawing on his pad.

"Ethan Jones, my name is SSA Rossi, and these are Agents Morgan and Blake," Rossi stated as he, Morgan, and Blake entered Ethan's hospital room, "I know you have already been through this with the police, but would you mind telling us about the man who shot you."

Ethan sighed and closed his eyes.

"I went out for a hike Monday afternoon," he began, "I got lost, which is very unusual for me, but I got back to my car late and began driving back to my apartment. I only saw one other car on the road, and it was coming toward me. As the car passed me, I noticed the back door open.

"Since I heard the other car screech to a stop, I knew that the back door was not meant to be open. I stopped to make sure everyone in the other car was okay. I thought it may have been a child in the back seat that opened the door on accident. When I got out of my car, I noticed the driver shoving somebody back into the car. I only saw a glimpse of the other man, but he seemed to be tied up. I asked the driver if I could help him, that's when he shot me."

The sketch artist walked over to Ethan and showed him the finished sketch of the suspect.

"Yes! That looks exactly like him!" Ethan said as he saw the finished sketch.

"Would you mind if we see?" Blake asked.

The sketch artist handed over his sketch pad. Blake and Morgan looked at the sketch in shock, but Rossi was not surprised at all, only angered.

"It can't be…." Morgan trailed off in disbelief.

"Is that…Gideon?" Blake asked in complete and utter shock.

She had only met Gideon a few times in her career in the FBI, but she would know him anywhere. She was completely shocked because she had heard all about the relationship that he had with Reid and wondered how on earth he could possibly be capable of kidnapping Reid.

"Thank you for your time Ethan," Rossi said quickly. He turned to Morgan and Blake. "We need to get to Gideon's cabin, now! Morgan, drive as fast as you possibly can. I'll let Hotch know."

The three agents quickly rushed from the hospital and to the SUV.

Reid was shivering and his teeth were chattering when he and Gideon reached the cabin. Neither one of them had said a word the entire way back. Once inside the cabin, Gideon led him to Stephen's old room and took some clothes out of the dresser. He then led Reid to the bathroom and cut his wrists free.

"You are obviously cold, so you have an hour to take a hot shower and warm up. You will not be able to lock yourself in the bathroom, so don't waste your time trying to. I have already removed anything that you could possibly use as a weapon from the bathroom, so don't waste your time trying to find a weapon. Just focus on getting warm. I will be sitting right outside of the bathroom, so don't think you will be able to escape the cabin." Gideon said very quickly as he handed Reid the clothes.

Reid could only nod in response. He entered the bathroom and quickly shut the door. True to his word, Gideon had removed nearly everything from the bathroom except for a towel and some shampoo and soap. Still shivering, Reid decided he should go ahead and get in a hot shower. The hot water helped him relax a little, as much as he could considering he was held against his will by his former mentor. He jumped when he heard Gideon's voice coming from the other side of the door.

"You have ten minutes."

Reid quickly came back to reality. He didn't want to know what Gideon might do if he took more than an hour. He got out of the shower and put the dry, warm clothes that Gideon had given him. He sighed, then walked out of the bathroom.

Gideon grabbed his arm and led him to a chair near the fire place, where there was a bright fire roaring. Reid mentally cursed himself. If he had been paying more attention, he might have realized that Gideon had left to start the fire and he could have escaped. He was brought out of his thoughts when Gideon sat him down in the chair and tied his hands tightly behind it. Gideon then bound his ankles together.

"I don't want to have to tie you up, Reid, but you've given me no choice," he left and came back with a cloth, "I have to go get more firewood, it's supposed to get very cold tonight. This is just to make sure you stay quiet in case any hikers come by."

Before Reid could even protest, Gideon gagged him and walked out the door. The minute Gideon was gone, Reid struggled frantically to free himself. After several minutes of rubbing his wrists raw, he had made no progress in his escape attempt, but that did not stop him from trying to get out of the rope.

Gideon returned with the firewood and noticed Reid struggling. He sighed.

"Spencer, when will you learn that the safest place for you to be is here with me?"

He set the firewood down and walked around so he was facing Reid, grabbing Reid's face so he was forced to look him in the eyes.

"I was really hoping it wouldn't come to this, but I have something, something that I know you will want. You will want it so much that you will stay here willingly."

He walked away and came back with a vial that Reid knew all too well. His eyes widened in shock. Gideon chuckled.

"I don't know why you're so surprised. You knew that I was aware of your addiction to dilaudid, and I know that once I give it to you, you will want more. You barely made it through withdrawals the first time, so I highly doubt you could do it a second time."

Reid probably should not have been surprised at this considering Gideon seemed capable to do just about anything in his current state of mind, but it still shocked him that Gideon would use one of the darkest times of his life against him.

After filling a syringe with dilaudid, Gideon made his way closer to Reid and grabbed ahold of Reid's arm. Reid let out muffled protests as he struggled to get his arm out of Gideon's grasp. Just as Gideon was about to make Reid's worst nightmare come true, he was stopped by the sound of sirens and the sight of an SUV with flashing lights pulling up to the cabin.

**I hope you all liked this chapter. Thank you again for being so patient with me! Reviews are much appreciated.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello again! I know it's been over a year since I have updated this story, but life just took me on a crazy ride, and for that I apologize. I was originally planning on writing a couple of chapters to finish this story, but the two chapters would have been short so I combined them into one final chapter. I'm at a point in my life where I have a little more free time on my hands, so I hope to write more stories and one-shots while I can. But before I do anything else, I must conclude this story! Thank you all so much for the reviews and being patient with me as I write this story.**

**Unfortunately, I do not own Criminal Minds.**

Gideon stood and stared for a moment in complete shock at the SUV that just pulled up to his cabin. He dropped the syringe, causing Reid to let out a sigh of relief. The moment one of the doors of the car opened, Gideon bolted out the back door. Through the window, Reid could see Morgan sneaking around to the back of the cabin while Rossi and Blake approached the front of the cabin, their guns at the ready.

"Jason Gideon! FBI!" Reid heard Rossi yell.

Rossi kicked in the door, allowing the two agents to enter.

"Reid!" Blake yelled upon seeing their missing teammate.

She quickly ran to Reid and took the gag out of his mouth.

"Don't worry about me! Gideon went out the back door of the cabin, I don't know where he might be going. We need to go help Morgan find him and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid!" Reid said the second the gag was removed.

Blake immediately worked on untying Reid's wrists. She turned to Rossi.

"Go on ahead. I'll get him free and we will join the search."

Rossi nodded and ran out the back door. He sprinted through the woods looking for any sign of Morgan or Gideon. After what seemed like an eternity, he stopped at a creek, looking up and down the bank, trying to decide which direction to go. What he didn't expect to see was Gideon leaning against a tree with his hands in his pockets, just staring at the water. Rossi slowly approached his former colleague, hoping not to cause him to run away.

"Jason?" Rossi asked.

Gideon didn't seem to even notice Rossi was speaking to him. He approached the edge of the creek in silence except for the sound of his footsteps. Rossi saw Morgan in the trees. Upon seeing Gideon, Morgan aimed his gun, but Rossi put his hand up to give him a silent warning to hold off. Once again, Rossi slowly approached Gideon to the point where the two were standing next to each other. Gideon surprisingly broke the silence.

"You know," he chuckled, "I actually didn't believe you would show up. Spencer kept saying that you all were his family and that you cared for him. I kept lying to myself, trying to convince myself staying with you all would result in him having a mental break like me. I didn't want that for him…."

"So that's why you kidnapped him," Rossi finished. "You genuinely thought you were helping him."

Gideon nodded, then continued.

"I thought Spencer was in denial about what his job was doing to him, so I drugged him to bring him here. I kept him tied up, hoping he would come to his senses and realize he was safe with me. I bashed his head against my kitchen table to keep him from running away. I even almost drowned him in this very creek because I deemed him as being disrespectful."

Rossi looked back at Morgan, who tensed when Gideon said this. Gideon chuckled again and shook his head in disbelief, almost as if he couldn't believe that he had done what he did.

"I couldn't get myself to believe that he didn't want to stay with me, but with a family like you all, I could understand why. When I saw you all pull up to the cabin, I realized that you truly cared for him. It took you all less than two days to figure out it was me and track me down. The minute I saw you, I finally realized the harm that my actions had caused Spencer. I realized that the safest place for Spencer was not with me. Quite the opposite, he needs to be as far away from me as possible. The world would be a safer place for him if I no longer existed."

"Gideon?"

Gideon and Rossi both whipped around to see Reid cautiously approaching them.

"I forgive you," he began, "I know that you only wanted to help me. You wanted me safe, and I thank you for that, but now you realize that I belong with my team. I don't blame you for what you've done to me because you've suffered a mental break. You tried to help me, now let us help you in return. Just come with us, and we can get you help."

Gideon gave Reid a small smile and sighed.

"I wish I could, Spencer. I don't understand how you could forgive me, and I'll never be able to forgive myself. I don't deserve help."

Before anyone could react, Gideon jumped into the creek. Once he was under the water, he took a deep breath and saw nothing but black.

"No!" Reid yelled.

Morgan and Rossi jumped in after Gideon. It didn't take long for them to find him and pull him out of the creek. After feeling Gideon's neck and not finding a pulse, Morgan began chest compressions. It only took two rounds of chest compressions before Gideon opened his eyes and began coughing up water. Morgan turned him on his side so he wouldn't choke on the water.

Reid knelt down beside Gideon.

"You're going to get the help you need, Gideon," Reid said, looking him in the eyes and meaning every word of it.

Morgan turned Gideon on his stomach and handcuffed him. All three agents walked Gideon through the woods back to the cabin without saying a word. Upon arriving to the cabin, they saw that another SUV and a police car had arrived. Hotch and JJ approached their teammates while Morgan took Gideon to the police car and began talking to one of the officers. JJ immediately hugged Reid.

"Reid we need to get you to a hospital," Hotch said.

"I'm fine," Reid replied, not really wanting to go to a hospital if he could avoid it.

"You're face is bruised and don't think I didn't notice the bruises on your throat," Hotch said in a tone that meant this was not up for discussion. Reid unconsciously touched his throat where Gideon had nearly strangled him. He put a hand on Reid's shoulder. "I just want to make sure you're okay."

"Okay," Reid reluctantly agreed, "But can I please go get my jacket from the cabin first?"

Hotch nodded. Reid went into the cabin. It wasn't a complete lie, his jacket was still there, but what he really wanted was just a couple minutes alone. He grabbed his jacket out of Stephen's room, then walked back toward the fireplace and stopped at the chair Gideon had tied him to. He picked up the syringe and stared at it. Gideon had come so close to drugging him. Reid shuddered at the thought of having to go through withdrawals again.

"What's going on in that big brain of yours, kid?"

Reid turned around to find Rossi standing there in a blanket. He must have been freezing from jumping into the creek. Reid sighed.

"Gideon wanted me to stay here so bad that he was going to give me this," he said raising the syringe, "It's filled with dilaudid. He said that I probably couldn't make it through withdrawals a second time. You arrived just in time. He was about to inject me with it."

Reid looked down in shame.

"I lied to him out by the creek. I am genuinely concerned about him getting the help that he needs, but I haven't forgiven him. I have been clean for almost seven years, and he was willing to ruin that so I wouldn't leave him. I won't be able to forgive him for that for a long time."

Rossi approached Reid and took the syringe out of his hand and put it on the chair. He pulled Reid into a hug and rubbed his back in a comforting manner.

"I wouldn't expect you to, Spencer. He not only was willing to make your worst nightmare come true, but he also thought that you were too weak to make it through the withdrawals. He hasn't seen you in years, so he doesn't know what a strong man you have become. Even if he had injected you, I know for a fact that you wouldn't become addicted again. Between your own strength and the support of your family, nothing could bring you down to where you don't want to be."

Reid pulled back out of the hug with a huge smile on his face.

"Thanks, Rossi."

"You're welcome, kid," he said, then put an arm around Reid's shoulders and led him out of the cabin, "Now what time should we go to the diner next week?"

**And that's the end! Again, I apologize for not updating in forever. At least this story is finished! Let me know what you think! Thank you to all who have reviewed this story and have been patient with me! **

**Until next time,**

**alightintheshadows**


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